"THE WEEKLY WRAP" with Diane W. Collins
The Power Struggle: Big Government, Big Labor, Big Business
Sunday, February 27, 2011 - no video this week
Archive: Publications, Weekly Wrap
 |
The Weekly Wrap Diane W. Collins Sunday, February 27, 2011 |
Welcome to the Weekly Wrap. I’m Diane Collins.
Congress went home on vacation for Presidents Day. The House having completed business deserved some rest, however, one might conclude otherwise regarding the Senate. Needless to say, the world did not stand still.
At the state level Wisconsin proved to be the stage from which was launched an intense battle, a power struggle. It is an old story with a new episode. It concerns the consequence of an imbalance of power between Big Government, Big Labor and Big Business. The only way to get to the truth and how it affects the common man is to look at the crux of the issue, collective bargaining in the public sector.
As many states face budget deficits that threaten insolvency strong reforms necessarily have been brought forward. One cannot argue with the fact that a major issue regarding state solvency is the public pensions collective bargaining has been able to achieve. As governors have said, "Broke means broke" and we have reached a situation where there is nothing to bargain over. The call is for concessions. But, the common man understands the need for the ability to bargain on a collective basis in some cases. This can be true in the area of wages, hours, and conditions of the workplace. However, the collective ability to hold the electorate captive over unrealistic pension and health benefits is not something that can continue.
 |
"Broke is broke" |
Clarity on the issue comes when one understands that in Big Labor dues are used to elect state and national representatives. Many of these representatives are the very people who have voted to establish the unrealistic public pension programs under which many states now suffer. How has this served the workers? Unrealistic expectations in any matter never lead to happy endings. Instead this has served the ambitions of union bosses and politicians, both of whom seek re-election and power to establish their own agendas. Don't believe me? Look at their alliances. Then ask yourself... are these the people you want as friends?
In the private sector, workers don't elect the boss. In the private sector unions can have a place helping ensure fair treatment of workers. But, the public sector is a different animal. The rules must be written to protect workers but also the electorate from this new version of the "tyranny of the masses." Hopefully, those Democrat state legislators who have chosen to deny the political process of our Republic will return to their assemblies and conduct the business of state as they were elected to do. If not, every legal means should be used to remove them as delinquent of their authority; and the call for new elections in their districts should go out. As I wrote on our Twitter account this week, what in the world do you think would have happened if Republicans had walked out of the House when health care reform was being debated?
The greatest danger in this current manufactured "crisis," however, comes about when Big Government and Big Labor unite. It's no longer about the American people at that point. It is about the ambitions of the few. That is where we are right now. Dick Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO has admitted that he has meetings once a week at the White House and speaks with "someone at the White House everyday." President Obama made a statement at the beginning of the Wisconsin budget legislative process in support of the unions. Even as Obama has attempted to distance himself from those remarks they have played well for him. It gave support to a media circus of bused in public union workers to a region crucial in Obama's 2012 campaign... the Midwest. Obama's action was an interference in state governance by duly elected representatives of the people in these states. If you can get past the rhetoric, you will see an organized attempt to make "by the people and for the people" irrelevant.
Americans do not accept the idea of tyranny. We don't want it in the form of Big Government, Big Labor or Big Business. Checks and balances are important to the rule of law. Our founders were experts in this. Do not allow yourself to be used as a pawn in the ambition of others. Those who belong to unions must look carefully at what their leaders are marching them toward and with whom they make their alliances. Big Labor has mastered the art of pie-in-the-sky promises that can not be delivered upon in the end... and they know it. These promises are made for one reason only. Power, obtained by inducing you to follow out of your own greed... wake up America, you're being played. Broke is broke. One hundred percent of nothing is still nothing. Capeche? So what is the real goal of these groups and an Administration that backs them? It is a serious question when unrealistic promises lead to a destabilization of our form of government.
Next week, I'll return to work as Congress reconvenes. Our video sessions will begin again on Sunday, March 6th. As many of you know, GiftWrappingAir is a community service project that I own and operate, solely. All the work done on this site rests on my shoulders. Neither donations, advertising, or support are solicited. The project is simply the manifestation of my desire to reach the truth and be a voice of reason.
See you next week.
Contact: Representatives, Contact: Senators
Further Reading: